Comic Con a Marvel-ous treasure trove for fans

Friday

May 31, 2013 at 12:01 AMMay 31, 2013 at 5:00 AM

By LOU GAULStaff Writer

When signing to play “The Incredible Hulk” (1978-82) on CBS, Lou Ferrigno never imagined his performance as the green-skinned, short-tempered Marvel superhero would change the lives of so many young people exposed to it.

“There was a message to the show,” says the 61-year-old Ferrigno, who will appear through Sunday at Wizard World Philadelphia Comic Con, during a telephone interview. “It’s if you are true to yourself, your dreams will come true.”

And what do fans ask when they talk to him at expos?

“They want to know how the makeup was done (on the TV show),” he says, “and how I approached playing the Hulk.

“I’m a guy from Brooklyn, and many of the people like getting their picture with me. I’m not a guy in a costume. I look like a superhero, and I always try to get a smile when someone walks away from my booth.”

Thousands of smiling fantasy buffs will be greeting Ferrigno and descending upon the Pennsylvania Convention Center this weekend during Wizard World.

Numerous Q-and-A sessions will be held. Those appearing in them (all subject to change and with full details at the Wizard World website http://www.wizardworld.com/programming-pa.html) include:

Marvel legend Stan Lee, whose comic creations include the Amazing Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and The Incredible Hulk. Linda Blair, whose “The Exorcist” celebrated its 40th anniversary and remains what many fans consider to be the scariest movie ever made. Scottish actor/stuntman Ray Park, who plays Darth Maul in “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace”. Michael Rooker, who plays violent Merle Dixon in the hit AMC zombie series “The Walking Dead.” Norman Reedus, who plays Daryl Dixon, the brother of Merle Dixon, in “The Walking Dead.” Joe Bernthal, who plays lawman Shane Walsh in “The Walking Dead.” James Marsters and Charisma Carpenter in a “Buffyfest” featuring favorites from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” William Shatner as Capt. Kirk in the original “Star Trek.” Henry Winkler as the Fonz in “Happy Days.” Shannen Doherty, Holly Marie Combs and Brian Krause in a “Charmed” reunion. Giancarlo Esposito of TV’s “Breaking Bad.” Lauren Holly of “Dumb and Dumber” with Jim Carrey and “Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story” (as Linda Lee). Andrew McCarthy (“Weekend at Bernie’s”), who will talk about the 1989 cult comedy with a dark side. His Friday appearance begins at 7 p.m., followed by a screening of the movie at 7:30. Kevin Sorbo, who plays the title character of the hit series “Hercules, The Legendary Journeys,” which has been airing on television in repeats for two decades. An Awesomefest screening of “Police Academy,” starring Steve Guttenberg. And for fans of DC Comics’ red, white and blue superhero, a special 1 p.m. Sunday program (“What’s Better Than Superman? Supermen! With Dean Cain and Brandon Routh,” who play the man of steel in TV’s “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman” and filmdom’s “Superman Returns,” respectively).

Comic book artists will also be out in force. Major star comics creators scheduled to attend include Salvador Larroca (“Avengers vs. X-Men”), Leinil Yu (“Hulk”), Bob Layton (“Iron Man”) and Barry Kitson (“Spider-Man”).

Those seeking careers in the world of comics can attend some helpful sessions. They include “Kickstarting Your Own Project” and “How to Be a Functioning Studio.”

Also available are informative collectibles sessions, such as “Getting Your Comic Books Signed and Protecting Your Investment.”

For those looking for love, a number of speed-dating opportunities will be held. You must be at least 16 and single to participate.

Families can enjoy events such as the Wizard World Kids Costume Contest (3 to 3:45 p.m. Sunday).

Certainly comics seem to be dominating pop culture. “Iron Man 3” has grossed a fortune ($367.5 million just in the United States and Canada so far) and is still going strong in theaters, and “Marvel’s The Avengers” (2012) landed $1.5 billion globally.

Ferrigno wasn’t surprised by the epic’s impact.

“I think ‘Marvel’s The Avengers’ is the best superhero movie ever made,” he says. “And I think Mark Ruffalo was terrific as The Hulk.”

Lou Gaul: 609-871-8055;

email, lgaul@phillyBurbs.com

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